Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff in Northwest Montana
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2012 Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff in Northwest Montana Adam Michael Clark The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Clark, Adam Michael, "Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff in Northwest Montana" (2012). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 1397. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1397 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUANTIFYING GLACIER-DERIVED SUMMER RUNOFF IN NORTHWEST MONTANA By Adam Michael Clark B.A. Psychology, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 2006 A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geosciences The University of Montana Missoula, MT November 2012 Approved by: Sandy Ross, Associate Dean of The Graduate School Joel T. Harper, Chair Department of Geosciences Johnnie N. Moore Department of Geosciences David D. Shively Department of Geography Daniel B. Fagre U.S. Geological Survey Clark, Adam, M.S., Fall 2012 Geosciences Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff in Northwest Montana Chair: Joel T. Harper Glacier National Park, located in northwest Montana contains the second largest concentration of glaciers in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. However, total glacier-covered area has shrunk by almost 30% over the past 50 years. This has important implications for local glacier-fed streams, especially during the typically hot and dry summer month of August. This study is the first attempt to quantify the volume of glacier meltwater entering local streams. We simulate glacier-melt generation during the summers of 2009 and 2010 using a modified temperature-index model that includes solar radiation as input. The model was calibrated with data from weather stations installed on five different glaciers and in situ measurements of surface ablation. Simulated glacier-melt hereafter "glacier runoff" from within gauged basins was then compared to measured stream discharge for the month of August to assess the relative contribution of glacier runoff to stream flows. We find the fraction of August stream discharge potentially derived from glaciers is not linearly proportionate to glacier cover. In watersheds only 0.12% glacierized, glacier runoff equals 5%-6% of the August total discharge; glacier runoff is 23%-28% of the discharge in a stream draining a basin 1.4% glacierized; and, in the small alpine catchments where glacier cover exceeds 25% of the basin area, glacier runoff likely accounts for almost all of the total runoff. Our work suggests that during dry summer months, glacier runoff is a primary control on both water availability and water temperature in small alpine basins with a catchment area on the order of tens of km2 and smaller and that are located within 20 km of the continental divide. However, the significance of meltwater diminishes quickly when travelling downstream and that in larger rivers situated 50 km or more from glaciers, glacier runoff is minimally important. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Joel Harper for accepting me as a one of his graduate students. I first approached him as an ex-mountaineering guide armed only with a BA in psychology and minimal qualifications to work as a glaciology student. But Joel believed in my potential, and I will always be grateful to him for the opportunity to study glacier scientifically and for his guidance over the past 3 years. In addition, I want to thank my other committee members; Dr. Johnnie Moore, Dr. David Shively, and Dr. Dan Fagre for their comments which helped improve this paper. I also greatly appreciated the financial support from the Montana Water Center, the American Alpine Club, the Geological Society of America, and the Patrick McDonough Foundation. Next I want to thank all those worked so hard to haul 400 pounds of awkward equipment across Glacier Park’s most rugged terrain in order to gather data for this project: Max Pugh, Brandon and Katie French, Amy Groen, John Schuller, Andy Walker, Erich Peitzsch, Kevin Jacks, and Blase Reardon; without your efforts, this project would not have been the same. Special thanks go to Zach Seligman, whose skills both in the mountains and in the lab helped me overcome countless hurdles. I am also grateful for my parents, Mike and Kathy, my brother Zach, and to all my friends, who were a never- ending source of encouragement. Most importantly, I am grateful for my wife Aubrey and our son Hudson who both kept me positive during the most trying times. Without Aubrey’s endless support and reassurance, and without Hudson brightening my day with his beaming smile, I never would have finished this paper. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures and Tables....................................................................................................v 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 2. Methods............................................................................................................................3 2.1. Study Glaciers ...........................................................................................................3 2.2. Modeling Scheme .....................................................................................................4 2.3. Study Interval ............................................................................................................7 2.4. Field Measurements ..................................................................................................9 2.5. Coefficient Calibration ............................................................................................10 2.6. Comparisons to Streamflows ..................................................................................11 3. Results ............................................................................................................................12 3.1. Field Data ................................................................................................................12 3.2. Error Assessment ....................................................................................................13 3.3. Glacier Runoff ........................................................................................................17 3.4. Relative Contribution of Glacier Runoff Between Basins ......................................19 4. Discussion ......................................................................................................................20 4.1. Present Glacier Contributions .................................................................................20 4.2. Historic Glacier Contributions ................................................................................23 4.3. Future Glacier Contributions ..................................................................................25 5. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................27 6. References Cited ............................................................................................................28 Appendix: Supplementary Information .............................................................................47 A. Model Input: Temperature Index ..............................................................................47 B. Model Input: Solar Radiation Index ..........................................................................48 C. List of Study Glaciers ................................................................................................51 D. Description of Gauged Watersheds ...........................................................................52 E. Local Weather on Min/Max Melt Days .....................................................................53 F. Coefficient Calibration ..............................................................................................54 G. List of August Runoff for the 39 Study Glaciers ......................................................55 H. Correlations Between Glacier Elevation and Melt ...................................................56 I. North Fork Flathead Calorimetry Equation ...............................................................56 iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES FIGURES: Figure 1 - Map of the study area showing the Glacier Park boundary (black line), continental divide (white line), study glaciers (white, size exaggerated), weather stations (black squares, see Table 1), stream gauges (black circles, see Table 2), major streams and